Two Ways, One Desire1
We all know that feeling. That cold, heavy stone in your stomach when you've done something wrong. Call it what it is: sin. It's the painful realization that warm, confidential fellowship with God has been disrupted, and a longing for restoration fills your heart. This is a struggle of all times. Let's follow two men on their journey to reconciliation. The first is an Israelite, living in the desert under the shadow of the Tabernacle. The second is a desert father, centuries later, struggling on that same barren ground. Both feel the unbearable burden of their sin and long fervently for God, but they each choose a fundamentally different path to draw near to Him.
The Burden of Sin and the First Step
The Way of Faith: the Israelite and his Lamb
The silence in his tent feels heavy. His conscience is burdened; an unkind word, a selfish thought, and he feels the distance from his God. He knows what he has to do, not because he thought of it himself, but because God himself has shown the way. He gets up and walks to his flock. His hands go through the fleece of the young animals, searching for that one, perfect lamb: flawless, healthy and without any defect, just as the precepts say. The weight of the animal in his arms is the first step on his journey. The perfection of the lamb is crucial because it is a first, powerful reference to the perfect Sacrifice that would one day come: Christ.
The Way of Self Strength: the Desert Father and his Struggle
Centuries later, a desert father struggles with the same inner turmoil. But his answer is different. Instead of seeking a sacrifice outside himself, he decides to "sacrifice" his own body. After the era of the "red martyrs" - those who died for their faith - he sought a new way to show the highest devotion. He became a "white martyr," one who hoped to earn the martyr's crown through a life of extreme self-denial. This asceticism, fueled by gnawing hunger and waking icy nights, was his attempt to overcome sin in his own strength. Practices such as extreme fasting or sleep deprivation were not signs of surrender, but weapons in his personal struggle to earn God's favor.
Both men feel the burden of their sin, but their first step puts them on two completely different paths. Let us now follow them on their journey.
The Journey to Reconciliation
The Journey to the Tabernacle
The Israelite begins his journey, the living, breathing lamb at his side. His journey is not a solitary struggle, but a purposeful walk to a place designated by God. His experiences along the way are deeply symbolic:
- Through the Camp of Judah: His path takes him through the tent camp of the tribe of Judah. The name "Judah" means "praise. So symbolically he walks through praise on his way to God.
- The Presence of God: In the distance he sees the great enclosure of the Court. Above it towers the imposing column of cloud, a silent, divine pillar connecting heaven and earth, a constant reminder of the awe-inspiring holiness he is approaching.
- The Gatekeeper: At the East Gate, he is met by a gatekeeper. This Levite does not inspect the depth of his repentance or the sincerity of his motives. He checks only one thing: the lamb. Does it comply with all the regulations? The lesson from this is deep and timeless: Which Lamb are you coming to God with? Is this the Lamb according to the Scriptures?
The Journey into the Desert
In stark contrast, the desert father deliberately withdraws from the community. He seeks solitude and silence, not in the place of God's presence, but in a self-selected place of demonic presence. He deliberately sought tombs and other desolate places because he believed that there, in confronting demons, he could exercise his spiritual power. The fundamental difference is painfully clear: One goes to the place God has ordained for reconciliation, the other to a self-chosen arena for confrontation and self-improvement.
Both men are now approaching the moment when their chosen path will be put to the test.
The Moment of Truth
At the Altar: Sin is Transferred
The Israelite is allowed to enter the Court and arrives at the great brazen altar of burnt offering. This is where the decisive moment takes place. Led by a Levite, he places his hands on the head of the lamb. This is not an empty gesture; it is the symbolic transfer of his sin onto the animal. The innocent lamb becomes his substitute. After this act, the animal is sacrificed. His sin is now "covered. His relationship with God is restored.
The Israelite was not allowed to go beyond the altar, but there he found peace. His sin had not been put away by his own efforts, but borne by an innocent substitute.
In the Tomb: the Struggle with Himself
The desert father Antony2 finds himself in his self-chosen tomb. There he battles demonic attacks and inner temptations in his own strength. His victory and peace depend entirely on his own perseverance and self-control. His "inner peace and steadfastness" must be his shield. But this peace is always fragile, a victory that must be fought over every day. He never comes to a real, lasting peace with God because his confidence rests on his own achievement and not on the accomplished work of a Savior who has already borne the punishment.
These two stories, though centuries apart, find their ultimate fulfillment and response in one historical moment.
The Bridge to Today: the Finished Work of Christ
"It is finished!" With these words of the Lord Jesus on the cross, everything changed. At that moment, the thick veil in the temple tore from top to bottom. The way to God was no longer limited to the altar in the court; the way into the Holy of Holies, into God's direct presence, was now completely free. The work of Christ reveals the superiority of God's way.
| The Israelite's Way (Foreshadowing) | The Way of the Desert Father (Own Strength) |
|---|---|
| Recognizes sin and the need for a sacrifice beyond himself. | Tries to overcome sin by efforts from within. |
| Leans on a perfect substitute which God has provided. | Leans on own fortitude and inner strength. |
| Results: Restored community By covered sin. | Result: A fragile, self-earned rest And an incessant struggle. |
The core of the gospel is that we draw near to God, not like the desert father on the basis of our own effort, but like the Israelite on the basis of the perfect Sacrificial Lamb that God Himself provided: the Lord Jesus.
But then if we are fully reconciled, why do we still stumble? And how do we deal with the sin that can still stain our daily lives?
After the Atonement: the Daily Purification at the Laver
New Testament believers are called a "priestly people. We may walk past the altar - the cross. The next stop on the way to God is the laver. This vessel was not for atonement, but for cleansing. The symbolism is rich and practical for us today:
- The Mirrors: The laver was made from the polished mirrors of women. It thus became not a mirror to admire yourself in, but a mirror in which you could see that you needed cleansing. When a priest looked into it, he saw his own dirt, but at the same time the water reflected the fire of the altar. It reminds us that we need cleansing, but that the basis for it is always the accomplished sacrifice of the cross.
- The Water: The water in the vessel probably came from the rock that Moses struck in the desert. The struck rock is a picture of Christ's death on the cross. The water itself symbolizes the cleansing effect of God's Word.
- The Function: The atonement for sin took place on the altar (once and for all through Christ). The cleansing at the laver was for the daily dirt that the priests contracted as they walked and served in the world.
So what is our path when we stumble? We do not retreat into the desert of self-flagellation. Instead, we approach the "laver" by acting on the promise of 1 John 1:9: we confess our sins, trusting deeply that He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
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The Conclusion: Live in the Light
The journey to God is not a ladder of self-improvement that we must climb, but an open road paved by surrender to Christ's perfect sacrifice. The battle has been fought, the price has been paid. The choice today is the same as it was then in the desert. Do we walk a self-made path, struggling in the dark? Or do we choose the path of praise, illuminated by the fire of an accomplished sacrifice, on our way to the life-giving water that cleanses us day by day?
Related articles
For example, something is written about the desert fathers here: Evangelical Mysticism . By the way, it is a lucid article from "The Berean Call" of 2008, but gives good insight into the Roman Catholic mysticism that also permeates the evangelical world.
You can find more on the site about praise as the "way to God," including here:
- the Core of the Christian life: https://goddienen.nu/en/serving-god/the-core-of-your-christian-life/
- About praise offerings: https://goddienen.nu/gedachten-over-de-offers/
Footnotes
- Two articles from the September Magazine of Bible&Education have been combined and edited into this article. See here for the B&O website. ︎
- Read about Antony, for example, here: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonius_van_Egypte . ︎
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